Cyrna's head snapped up as a group of Gryffindors came to view. She kept her expression open with a slight smile as she looked nervously at Harry and Ron. Then, the rest of the Gryffindors noticed her. There was a gasp then one of the boys accused, "what in the bloody hell were you guys doing here with a snake?"
Ron shuffled awkwardly while Harry began frowning. "Don't call her—"
—"Because unfortunately for us, we're stuck in the same class as you Gryffindors for the next two hours."
Ron bristled. "Malfoy," he spat.
Malfoy smirked. "Weasley. I'm surprised you managed to find your way down here without tripping over your robes. Aren't they a bit big on you? Hand-me-downs, aren't they?"
"Well I'm surprised you even found the Potions room on your own, Malfoy. Merlin knows you can't do anything without your father's help," Harry retorted.
The Gryffindors laughed, and Cyrna watched an unpleasant flush rise on Malfoy's cheeks. Slowly, she edged out of his line of sight, hoping that the argument would continue right on without her.
"And I bet he couldn't find his way down on his own. Isn't that why you had to show up with all the other snakes, Malfoy?" Ron called back, finding his courage once again.
But before Malfoy could speak, a feminine voice rang out. "Then aren't you Gryffindors equally pathetic?" Daphne asked with a cold expression. "You all showed up in a group as well," Daphne pointed out in Malfoy's defense. Because though they did not like each other, Slytherins always stuck together; just like how Malfoy had previously defended Cyrna.
"Daphne?" Harry asked, confused. Daphne had defended Malfoy. But wasn't she friends with Cyrna who was friends with him?
Daphne hesitated, catching Cyrna's eyes.
But Cyrna didn't want to directly pick a side. So instead, she strolled across the middle of their confrontation, drawing the attention from both Houses, and went straight to the Potions door. Hidden in her sleeves, her wand slipped to her hand—just in case she'd need to cast the unlocking charm.
But she didn't need it in the end. With a gentle press of her hand, the door swung open.
Cyrna paused then turned to face the rest. "Oh, look, "she said blandly, "the door is open. Maybe Professor Snape wants us to have our workstations set up before he arrives?"
She didn't wait for them to respond before ducking in, hellbent on extracting herself from the conversation. Cyrna's gaze swept over the classroom; she thought for a moment before settling herself at the very front. Even after her unpleasant encounter with Snape, he was still her favourite character. It made her want to avoid him, yes, but it didn't make his story less interesting to watch. And she absolutely wanted a front row seat for the re-enactment of Snape's introductory speech to Potions.
Cyrna waved at Daphne and Theodore who were sat in the back, only turning her head when she heard someone greet her hesitantly. Hiding her surprise, she arched a brow at the Gryffindor girl. "Hermione, right? I remember you from the train," she said kindly.
Hermione smiled with relief. "And you're Cyrna. Can we be partners?"
Abruptly, Cyrna was reminded that Hermione hadn't had any friends before Halloween. She assented, and Hermione settled beside her, quieter than she remembered her being.
At nine sharp, the doors to the Potions classroom flew open as Professor Snape stormed in with his black robes billowing around his heels. With a wave of his wand, the doors slammed shut and the candles flared to full brightness. Snape fixed a cold glare on them, and he spoke in his quiet drawl, weaving a tale of impossibilities—"I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death"—
Then, he sneered and the spell broke.
Cyrna rose from her stupor, and her hands flinched as she swallowed her desire to applaud.
"Potter!"
Snape snapped questions at him like he had in canon.
Harry looked at her for help, but she was an academically mediocre student, so she gave him an apologetic shrug. Cyrna blinked innocently at the professor when she caught him eyeing their interaction before he tore into Hermione for putting up her hand. The rest of the lecture was on the cure of boils, with the class entirely silent.
After an hour, they moved on to the practical portion of the class where they would have to brew the potion. The moment Snape told them to start, Cyrna turned to Hermione. "How comfortable are you with Potions?"
"I've read the chapter through at least a dozen times. How about you?" Hermione answered.
Apologizing mentally to her mentor, Cyrna said, "Twice. Once during summer, then just before class."
Hermione was nonplussed. "Alright... then can you prepare the ingredients? I can handle the cauldron."
....
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